Captain

A Beautiful Forest and Dinner || 3

I reached out to touch one of the leaves. "They're... fabric..." I couldn't keep my eyes off the trees. Each individual leaf was hemmed along its edges, and there must have been thousands of them.

"Amazing, aren't they?" Tom must have climbed down as I was admiring the works of art. I continued to gaze up at them in astonishment.

"They look so... real! They're enchanting," I beamed. "Who made them?"

"Clyde. He seems pretty rough, but he creates wonderful art. We were going to sell them, but," Tom paused. "Well... the captain got attached to them, wouldn't stand for it. I agreed with her so we kept them."

"They are much too beautiful to sell," I agreed. "I almost don't want to leave... but I do need to get home before it's dark," I said.

"You won't want to bring anything except your undergarments, trousers and loose shirts. And possibly some sweaters," Tom added. "Don't bring too much, we do have a weight limit," he laughed.

"Don't worry about it. I'll only bring my favorite clothes and things that are the most wearable. As much as this forest enraptured me, we should get to the rooms," I suggested.

"Yes, definitely. Follow me," he spoke as he gently pushed a path through the trees. I noticed a few real trees mixed in with the fabric ones, but I could hardly tell the difference. We entered a small hallway and came upon six doorways. "These are our quarters. That one, that one, and that one are taken," he gestured to the last three doors. "The other ones are fair game. Captain's cabin is near her office of sorts, and the rest of the crew is on the other side of the forest," Tom explained.

I went to the first cabin and opened the hanging curtain in place of a door. In the middle of the room was a blue canvas hammock, and a small chest and table stood near the door. A tiny porthole gave me a glimpse at the open ocean. It was quite cramped but I immediately loved this small space of my own.

"I love this one!" I exclaimed. 

Tom grinned, and then he looked into the hallway. He slipped a pocket watch from his pocket, and quickly checked the time.

"We should move on to the rest of the ship. It's going to be time for dinner in the mess hall soon and you still need to get home!"

.....................................................................................................................................

I gently set my knapsack down on the floor of my cabin. I looked around, thinking about the ways I could decorate the tiny space to make it my own. I pulled out a few pairs of knickers, a few button-up shirts, a dress, and my underwear and carefully organized them within the chest. I noticed immediately that it was bolted to the floor, and guessed that it was in case we got stuck in a storm.

"Delilah? Are you in there?" Clyde asked. His muffled voice barely made it through the thick wooden door, but I recognized his rough voice at once. "Cap told me to come and get you, it's time for dinner. She also said you might want to wear a nice dress," he finished.

"Okay, thank you for letting me know. I'll be out in a moment, as soon as I've changed," I answered sweetly.

 I quickly put on my dress and a thin petticoat, simultaneously fixing my hair in an attempt to look presentable. I didn't put on any makeup, because the crew that I'd met didn't seem like the type to notice anything fancy, or care for that matter.

I briefly wondered what Bellamy would be wearing. Probably not a dress, I'd gathered that much from our first time meeting. I walked down the hallway, through the forest, and climbed carefully up the ladder. I stopped on the next level before the deck, and turned on a lantern hanging on a peg. I walked down the short walkway into the small dining area and kitchen. Seated around a table were Bellamy, Clyde, Tom, and four other people I didn't recognize.

"Hello guys," I said clearly. Everyone nodded in greeting. My attempt at confidence surely seemed fake, but I tried anyway. I sat in an empty seat, Bellamy on one side and Clyde on the other, and surveyed the dishes before us. Soup and some bread, as well as a few fresh fruits and vegetables chopped into small bites. I picked up a fruit skewer and daintily set it on my plate.

"How has your day been Delilah?" Tom asked. I smiled gratefully.

"Quite good, I would say. How has yours been?" I replied.

"Not too bad, thankfully. Captain, what kind of soup is this?" He questioned Bellamy. 

The awkward silence dissolved as if Tom had cast a spell. Each person burst into chatter, talking with their neighbors. Bellamy hit her wooden mug with a fork, causing an odd sound. She stood commandingly.

"As you all know, we have a new member of our crew. Her name is Delilah," Bellamy said. 

I noticed she didn't use my nickname, Lila, and was briefly disappointed before I realized if she said that everyone would call me that.

"Nice to meet you, Delilah," a man said to me. 

Others murmured a similar welcome, and I looked around at each face. One boy sat stubbornly with his arms crossed, even as the other crew members elbowed him and gestured at me. I didn't mind, I found it fascinating that someone who had never met me already had such disdain.

"Hello," I called to him. The room quieted as it had been before, but he still did not answer me.

*a/n This is pretty much where I'm at with the story, the next part will be pretty short. Please vote and comment if you like this book so far :))*

983 words